1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to vacuum probes for providing the connection between the vacuum bag or blanket barrier material and a vacuum source.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, vacuum probes used for vacuum bag and blanket cures of plastic components or panels in autoclaves or ovens have been far from satisfactory. They have evolved from a metal tube penetrating the vacuum barrier and sealed with a mastic putty to relatively expensive machined aluminum contrivances which are relatively expensive. Also these devices have been manufactured from stainless steel which have been even more expensive to provide. The evolution of the vacuum probe has served to develop a better, more efficient probe but has resulted in generally a more complicated system with multiple components. These complicated systems with multiple components are not "User Friendly". There have been three major complaints from personnel utilizing such vacuum probes. These complaints are that there are too many components to assemble and further that the metal parts become too hot to handle and are occasionally dropped causing damage to the parts being processed or to the vacuum bag or blanket, or to the layup mandrel.
In the prior art patent literature of vacuum line coupling constructions there have been various types of couplings which incorporate a lug and ramp feature for pulling and locking devices together. In this respect U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,229,024; 3,687,493; 3,054,628; and 2,726,104 are illustrative.